Her Name
A short story by Kiara L. Phoenix
I can't believe it. She's gone. Gone. Gone from all of us. Gone from this world. We lost her. We lost ourselves as she fell to the ground, with only a blank expression upon her face. Blood covered her chest, and she lay there, motionless. I couldn't help but cry out her name. I ran to her. I touched her hand. It was bitter cold. Her eyes were closed. "She's dead." Ratigan's voice shook. No, it cannot be! It's not true! She's not dead! She can't be! I cradled her in my arms. Her body was ice. She is gone. Tears came down. I have never sobbed for so long since the discovery of my wife's dead body. There it went. My one chance to be a father is lost. I lost her. We lost her, me and Ratigan. He cried, too. They all cried. Even her family. They all rushed to her, carrying their tears with them. Why? Why did it have to be you? Why did you protect us? The scene repeated over and over in my head. I held her hand, and she gave me a warm smile through that beat up face. Chippendale abused her, but she wouldn't let that bother her. She said that she was only glad to see us. Ratigan and I.
The sound of the bullet rang my ears. I felt her arms push me to one side. Both I and Ratigan were shoved aside, only to see her fall. Blood, her blood, stained her chest. My heart screamed in pain and horror. The memory, that horrible memory, was still there. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill Chippendale who has despised her over the time she's been in this world. I gently put her back on the ground, and stood up. I looked around for him. He's gone. I remember Ratigan crushing him, so how is it possible he could've escaped? I didn't think of it that time. I was furious. "YOU COWARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" I screamed in the air. I felt eyes looking at me. I was full of rage. I wanted to kill him so bad. Why? Why did it have to be you? I dropped to my knees and cried. The happy memories with her were disappearing. I could only see her dead face. I lost my wife, my daughter, and now a friend. No, not a friend. I lost my daughter. My goddaughter.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was her sister, Hayley. Her face was tear-stained. I know what she needed. So, I gave her a hug. She has lost her only sister. AL, her friend, has lost her best friend. The parents have lost their daughter. Everyone who had come to save her has lost a good friend. London has lost a heroine. Ratigan has lost a girl that changed his life. We lost her.
Months have passed since that day. The newspapers had the whole story of it.
London's Famous Human Girl is Dead!
Family mourns for her loss
I couldn't bear to look at the picture of her. I couldn't stand to see her last and final smile. I didn't want to. By now, they must've buried her. Her family went back to their own world where we existed as nothing but an old cartoon. It should stay that way. We exist to entertain children through a film. We must stay forgotten. "Forget us." Those were my final words to her family before they left. Ratigan then destroyed the machine. Ratigan. I haven't seen that man in ages. In fact, I haven't seen anyone since April. I lost count on how many days has passed. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. All I could do was to think about…her. Her face was still in my mind. It stayed there. The same question repeated in my head. Why? Why?
I began to remember seeing her for the first time. Her friends came to my door, pleading for help. "Please save her!" They cried out. I grabbed my deerstalker and bolted out the door. I whistled for Toby. The women gave me directions to the location. "What's the color of her fur?" I asked along the way. There was a pause. "Well, sir, she's a human." My eyes grew wide. A human? That can't be possible! But, the look on the girl's face told me she wasn't lying. Still, it was hard to believe. I asked who was holding her hostage. When they told that dreadful name that was suppose to be dead, I knew that whoever this girl was, she was in real danger. They even told me about this girl's history, and that she knew me in her world. This is unbelievable! A human girl shrunk to mouse-size, and knows about me and everyone in the rodent world of London!
I crossed the sewers, searching frantically for the human girl. Then, I heard a cry. "PLEASE WAKE UP! HE'S NOT HERE! HE'S JUST A DREAM! WAKE UP!" I came to a corner and stopped. There she was. A human girl, no more then sixteen, was curled up in a ball. Her face was bloody and her clothes were tainted. Then, I saw him. Professor Ratigan himself. He was coming closer to the girl. She tried to pull away from him, but he was too strong. I could see tears running down her bloody face. I had to step in!
I was grateful to have a smoke bomb with me. I threw at Ratigan. As soon as it rolled at their direction, it exploded. I rushed in and carried the girl out of Ratigan's reach. Good lord, she looked terrible. Her face was beaten down to a pulp. Her leg ended up broken. But, I held her dear tightly. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Her friends were concerned about her, but I knew for a fact that she was going to live. As I rode back on Toby, the girl woke up. "You don't know how glad I am to see you." She spoke softly. I smiled. "Don't worry. Your hero's here for you." She must've discovered that her friends told me about her. But, it didn't bother her. I could tell she was happy.
Her smiles always warmed me. She brought out what I was going to be. A father. Now, I'm not anymore. She's gone. No more of her. No more smiles. No more comfort. No more tears to dry. None. I sobbed once more. "Why? It didn't have to be this way!" I spoke to myself. "She shouldn't have done that! That should've been me! Me!" My cries came to a scream. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME ALL ALONE!?" Suddenly, I felt a pain in my chest. I couldn't breathe. My world became black. Is this what she saw? Is this what they call…death?
"Basil? Basil!" A voice called out to me. It was faint, but I could tell it was Dawson. His voice grew louder. My vision became clear. Dawson stared at me with a look of worry. I felt the carpet on my back. Did I fall? "What happened?" I asked while Dawson helped me back to my feet. "You had a heart attack." A heart attack? From what? Did I eat something bad? Wait, I haven't eaten in a long time. "Gracious, Basil! What has happened to you? You've been like this since the Phoenix family left." That was her last name. Her name kept repeating. Is this what they call depression? I guess that was the cause of my heart attack. Clinical depression. Dawson's voice disappeared. I couldn't hear anything anymore. Not even the ticking clock. It became black again. I felt myself sitting in my red chair. I could only hear her name. The name that was lost for months. I don't know how long I will last. I have now lost myself. I am gone from my home. Her name was the only thing I could hear that kept going on and on and on….
Kiara
The End